


Filling in the pieces

by LadyEkaterina



Series: The Meaning of Love [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gay, Gay Sex, Love, M/M, Prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 00:43:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18063314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEkaterina/pseuds/LadyEkaterina
Summary: How did Mickey get that deal to be with Ian in prison? And what happens next? A scene from S4 Episode 8  and then from S9 Episode 6





	Filling in the pieces

**Author's Note:**

> This is a series of vignettes, short scenes to fill in the blanks how we got to Endgame

_From S4E8 at the after hours party..._

_“Pimp.”_

_"Do you have a card?"_  


____Mickey stared at the young man in horror. Everyone was suddenly looking at something else. He heard a deep female chuckle. He looked around wildly and spotted the older woman sitting on a couch by the bar. She grinned at him and raised her bottle at him.  
Mickey strode over “What the fuck is so funny?” He felt out of place here and this frankly wasn’t helping.  
“You scared the hell out of them all” She said “It was brilliant!” She smiled again and patted the seat next to her. “Sit.” She ordered. She bent down under the couch and brought back 2 bottles of beer. “Beer?”  
Mickey said nothing and turned to look over his shoulder. Ian was being introduced by the bloke who'd invited them and had a cocktail in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The woman looked past Mickey at the young redhead. “He’s cute” she said I’ll move over so you can keep an eye on him. I think he’ll be quite safe though” Mickey’s gaze returned to her “After your introduction anyway”  
Mickey’s anger flared. “Look, lady.” The woman put her hand up “Lucy” she said.  
“What the fuck?”  
“It’s my name. What’s yours?” she said. "Listen, I honestly couldn’t give a rats ass who you fuck. I want to talk business. Sit.”  
Mickey sat. Her voice had edges of steel and well business was business.

____

The deal seemed pretty good to Mickey. He supplied 6 girls to this broads party for the evening and he was in line for 2 and a half gees. Cash. He felt the card in his pocket. Mickey looked up and saw Ian heading towards him. He looked pretty wasted, thought Mickey.  
“Hey, we can stay here tonight” Ian slurred. “There’s a sofa bed. “ Mickey didn’t want to stay. This place made him itchy. But Ian was smiling at him. “Fine”, he said. Ian bent his head and kissed him and in that moment, Mickey couldn’t give a fuck who was watching. 

\-----

 

Well, thought Mickey, that could have gone worse, feeling the money in his pocket. Lucy’s other girls hadn’t showed up so Mickey’s whores had had to work pretty hard. But it turned out the guests were all quick easy marks. The party had gone over well and Lucy had forked over the cash no problem with a big bonus for the girls extra work. He taken Svetlana to translate. And now some rich broad owes him a favour. 

\-----

 

_Mexico_

Mexico was hot and dry. The cartel Mickey was working for were driving him hard. And he missed Ian. He missed him so much. No matter what he did, every night when he closed his eyes all he saw was red hair, strong arms. Fuck. Mickey spat. He’d found a gay bar eventually. Something akin to Fairy Tail and in desperation he’d gone in. He wasn’t looking for someone, just a lot of drink where he wasn’t being judged all the fucking time.  
He sat at the bar with a whisky, remembering the last time he and Ian were together. In the back of that car. Mickey laughed, causing the pretty barman to look up. Shit. He had to stop doing this to himself. He missed Chicago. The seasons. The snow. Red hair against the snow. He swallowed the last of his whisky and nodded at the barman “Another”

Mickey looked down the bar at the middle aged men all turned away from the bar staring at the dancers, hungrily. Apart from one. At the end a tattooed mustachioed man sat with his drink. Tequila, Mickey assumed. He picked up his drink and strolled down there. 

“Eduardo.”  
The man looked terrified, angry, shamefaced and tired all at once.  
“Oh Miguel.” He said. “What do you want”  
“Buy you a drink?”  
“You’re not my type”  
“Yeah?. I’m not looking to fuck. Just drink”  
“Tequila then. Thanks”  
The two sat silently drinking companionably. Then Eduardo spoke  
“What’s your silence gonna cost me?”  
“I wanna go home.”  
“Home? Where’s home?”  
Mickey drained his glass and gestured at the barman for another round. “Wherever Ian is.”

Eduardo sighed. “Ahhhhh. Ok. Let me think a bit. Come by the garage tomorrow. We’ll talk.”

Mickey had gone to the garage, and the two had hatched out a plan that got Mickey home and Eduardo increasing his market share. Everyone won and Mickey’s knowledge meant that no one from the cartel would come after him. Eduardo would see to that. In Mexico machismo was priceless and no faggot ran a cartel. 

To put the plan into action Mickey had to get into a fight. He laughed. That was not a problem. Most of the guys in this bar had been itching to take the white boy down and he got shitfaced most nights to sleep. One of the local girls approached him “Na”, he said loudly. “You’re not my type”

She spat “Faggot” and sashayed off. That should do it he thought. He lurched out of the bar and heard the push of chairs. “Hey faggot”. Mickey smiled to himself and turned. Here we go. 

Mickey sat in the police station with a black eye and bruised knuckles, blood streaming down his face. He grinned to himself at the fact that 2 of the gang were on their way to hospital now and the rest weren’t looking too clever. He might be gay, but he was no faggot. The TV was on showing the news. To Mickey’s horror Ian was on the news. “Gay Jesus arrested” it said. Fuck. This changed the game. He was going to need some help. 

One of the local cops came to sit next to him. So, Mikhailo. America has missed you., apparently. But don't worry. They are coming to get you." "Do I get a phone call?" "Of course, the cop ginned unpleasantly "Who you gonna call? Your boss - I think you put his cousin in the hospital!" Mickey fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the card. He'd taken to carrying it with him everywhere and now he was glad that he did. He was taken to the phone, with dialled the number and, balls, an answerphone. "Er Lucy, it's Mickey Milkovich. I don't know if you remember me but you said I should call if I needed help. I need help."He hesitated a second and then added "Please" He told the machine where he was and hung up. 

Mickey was taken back to his cell. It seemed word had already travelled and the other inmates stayed the hell away from him. He sat on the cot, pulled his knees up to his chest and closed his eyes.  
"Hey! Milkovich" Mickey opened his eyes and looked around. The cop was outside the cell. "You have a visitor". Mickey sighed. So the US cops were being funny eh? Fine whatever as long as he got to go home.  
He followed the cop into the room and stared at the man. Pushing 50, greying hair and wearing a suit Mickey could only dream of ever owning. Mickey looked him in the eyes "Who the fuck are you?"  
"I'm your lawyer Mr Milkovich. My name is Adam. May I call you Mickey?"  
"The fuck you are. I cant afford a lawyer wearing that suit"  
"No you can't." Mickeys anger flared  
"Easy, tiger. No one in this place can afford me. However lucky for you I owe Lucy a favour so, for you, I'm pro bono."  
"Pro what?"  
"Bono. Free. Sit."  
"You talk like her"  
"I should. She's my sister"  
Mickey sat.

He talked with Adam for a couple of hours. After which the man looked over his notes. "OK I think we can definitely do something here. Let me do the talking when the Chicago DA arrives”  
“Hang on there’s something else.”

“Ok. What?”

“Ian.” Mickey said. “Ian Gallagher”  
"Gay Jesus? "  
“Yeah. He’s bipolar. Not taking his meds. I want to be with him.“  
"Why"  
"He's my ... well he was my.... Look I.... I... oh Fuck! I love him" Mickeys voice dropped to a whisper  
"Oh" said Adam. "OK. Given what you've told me, I'll see what I can do."  
He stood up. "Nice to meet you Mickey. My sister is usually bang on when it comes to character. For a criminal, you seem surprisingly honest"  
He stuck out his hand. Mickey looked at it for a second and then shook it.  
"Thanks.”  
"Be seeing you" Adam waved as he walked out. Mickey sat there stunned for a few mins before the cop took him back to his cell.

And that, it seemed it was that. Mickey sat in silence while Adam ran rings around these jerks. Adam had brought in that Mickey’s sentence was unreasonable given that it was a crime of passion, that he was the de facto carer of someone with mental health problems and without Mickey this person had become a criminal themselves. Before he knew it, he was trading in all the info he'd agreed with Eduardo on the cartel for a cushy bed up in Chicago and a reduced sentence with a very good chance of parole. Adam told him he'd see him again in Chicago to make sure the agreement was being met. Mickey nodded. The guy was gonna fly back home obviously. First class probably. Lucky bastard. As he was being marched onto the bus the transferring cop said "I gotta know, Mickey. How did a guy like you get Adam Bearings to act as your attorney?" "Mickey smiled. "His sister owed me a favour" The cop looked at Mickey in surprise. This kid had some connections! He nodded. "Good for you" he said and, having checked Mickey was secure, left him to take the long bus ride home. Mickey looked out the window He was going home. To Chicago. To Ian. 

\-----

_Prison_

Ian lay in the top bunk. He couldn’t sleep. There were strange noises outside and the mattress (for want of a better word) was hard and unforgiving. He could hear Mickey breathing underneath him. Ian hopped off the bunk and peered in. Then he crawled in beside Mickey and pressed his face against Mickey’s neck. Ian breathed in deeply and felt the twanging nerves start to subside as Mickeys warm scent flowed up his nostrils.  
Mickey mumbled something incoherent and turned over. “Can’t sleep, tough guy?” He murmured sleepily, stroking Ian’s hair. The two kissed gently and Ian burrowed into Mickey’s neck. He smiled. “I think I can now. “ Mickey laughed “Fuck you Gallagher”. He watched the bottom half of Ian disappear above him, closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

 

Mickey smirked as Ian cornered him in the laundry room and pushed him up against the wall, pressing his lips hard against Mickey. It wasn't the only thing that was hard, Mickey thought, as Ian spun him around to face the wall. Mickey undid the buttons on his jumpsuit. The new drugs were definitely working. Adam had come up trumps again, getting Ian into the new DOC Mental Health Initiative. So far so good. Ian was taking the tablets and seemed like his old self. And, thought Mickey, gasping slightly, Firecrotch was definitely back in the saddle. 

\-----

Mickey watched Ian and Fiona from the yard. He wondered if Ian had mentioned him. He knew Fiona wasn’t a fan of any of the Milkoviches, least of all him. Fiona thought he was trash. And, well, she wasn’t wrong. He was trash. And a thug. And a criminal. But he loved Ian and as long as Ian would have him around, he’d stay. Fiona lent over to hug Ian and she looked up right into Mickey’s eyes. They stared at each other for a second and Fiona smiled and nodded to him. Mickey nodded back. 

\-----

But the best time was just before lights out. When they lay in Mickey’s bunk, messing about, kissing and to Ian’s surprise, talking. Mickey had never been much of a conversationalist but now he wanted to talk all the time. About getting his GED, about Ian’s job, about everything. Usually there was a lot of laughter, a lot of love. But tonight, Mickey was feeling a little melancholy.  
“I don’t know where I’ll go after I get out” said Mickey. “Can’t go home. My dad’s there. At least he is at the moment”  
“You’ll come and live with me.” replied Ian. “I’ve already talked to Lip about it”  
Mickey raised his eyebrows but something was still bothering him.  
“After you get out”, Mickey was saying. “Will you come visit me?”  
Ian heard the slight break in Mickey’s voice “Of course I will. Every week.” Ian turned to face him “What’s going on Mick”  
Mickey’s face was turned away. “I guess I want to know if we’re a real couple”  
Ian stared at the side of Mickey’s face. And suddenly the memories came flooding back. Mickey coming out at possibly the worst time for him. For Ian. The guys at Fairy Tail telling him about the short thug who smacked the manager down just to find him. Mickey running down the street when Ian came home. Mick beating up some old bastard trying to take a very drugged up Curtis home. Who then carried him home. Svetlana shouting at him about Mickey sitting up all night with him when he slept the drugs off. When he didn’t want to visit Mick in prison. When he was there getting revenge for what happened to Ian. Mick coming home with vitamins. Mick standing by him after he’d run off with Yev. Everything Mickey had done for him flooded into Ian’s brain. And his eyes filled with tears. There was nothing he could do, no amount of time it would take to show Mickey how he felt. But he could try. He wrapped himself about the dark haired man and whispered “Of course we are.”


End file.
